by Moe Zilla

Created on: February 19, 2008   Last Updated: February 20, 2008

"The Rifleman" was a thoughtful TV western that ran for five years starting in 1958. It was created and developed by legendary director Sam Peckinpah, who gave the series its central theme: a single father raising his young son in the rough and violent west.

But the show's premise ultimately created a big problem for its writers. Would "The Rifleman" offer exciting bouts of violence or sentimental lessons about neighborliness? While sometimes the episodes offered real danger - a violent drunk or a hot-headed sharpshooter - many episodes veered into heart-tugging stories about visitors to the town. A misunderstood schoolteacher, a runaway, and a troubled Civil War veteran all found their way into the life of rancher Lucas McCain - and inevitably they'd learn something from his simple common sense.

Fortunately, McCain's "strong, silent" persona kept the speeches to a minimum, and the actor playing the rancher brought a quiet strength to the part. Chuck Connors was a charismatic former athlete, and he was a good choice. (Standing 6' 5", he'd played for both the Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs, as well as the NBA.) The opening credits showed rancher Lucas McCain repeatedly firing off his Winchester rifle as he walks down the street. Though he was reluctant to use the rifle, in some episodes his strong voice and tall frame signaled that he was prepared to back up his beliefs.

An amazing parade of guest stars found their way to the show, including Dennis Hopper, Buddy Hackett, and even Sammy Davis Jr. McCain's son Mark was played by Johnny Crawford, a former mouseketeer on the original Mickey Mouse Club. This took away some of the tough guy energy of the show, as the guests spoke gently about where they'd come from and why they'd visited the town. But occasionally the show really did find it's way to some kind of gun play.

In one episode, McCain uses his rifle - but it's only in a sharp-shooting contest. In another, McCain fires off a round at a thief who's broken into a store. It's only in the next line of dialogue that it's revealed McCain was only firing warning shots, shouting to the thief that "I can aim lower." TV westerns had been criticized for years as being too violent. "The Rifleman" ultimately shows what happened when they tried something else.

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